Frank J. Caggiano, Bishop of Bridgeport, speaks during St. Vincent's College's 22nd annual commencement ceremony Friday, May 23, 2014, at the Arnold Bernhard Arts and Humanities Center at the University of Bridgeport. less

Frank J. Caggiano, Bishop of Bridgeport, speaks during St. Vincent's College's 22nd annual commencement ceremony Friday, May 23, 2014, at the Arnold Bernhard Arts and Humanities Center at the University of ... more

STAMFORD -- Thousands of Fairfield County Catholics have told the diocese what they think about the church, and Bishop Frank Caggiano said he has heard every word.

Caggiano and other diocese officials have spent the last two months talking with the public about the church's strengths, weaknesses and future. With that feedback in mind, the bishop is poised to announce the main themes for the diocese's first synod in 32 years.

"I sensed that there was a tremendous eagerness among the people to get involved in the church in a meaningful way, and to tackle some of the challenges that individuals are facing," Caggiano said Friday. "This should be the occasion where we come together."

The bishop convened the synod to bolster communication between Fairfield County Catholics and the clergy, and to recalibrate the church's direction, said Patrick Turner, deputy synod director. On Sunday Caggiano will conduct a special prayer service at Saint Augustine Cathedral in Bridgeport, marking the unofficial kickoff to a yearlong effort by the synod's 400 delegates, who will develop recommendations for the diocese's future.

"We received a lot of input from Catholics throughout the diocese," Turner said. "Sunday is really the bishop's opportunity to respond to everything he's heard throughout the last few months."

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If you go ...What: The Solemn Celebration of Vespers on the Solemnity of the Apostles Peter and Paul prayer service.When: 7 p.m. Sunday at St. Augustine Cathedral.Where: 359 Washington Ave, Bridgeport.

An estimated 1,700 people attended seven pre-synod listening sessions at locations across Fairfield County this spring. Thousands more submitted online feedback, giving church officials an estimated 4,000 comments in total to consider.

Caggiano, who was installed as the Diocese of Bridgeport's bishop last September, said the listening tour brought him closer to the local Catholic community.

"It certainly has allowed me to make connections in a totally different way," Caggiano said Friday. "When I visit the parishes and pray with people -- it's a very formal setting and rightfully so, because we're praying. But this was a much more open, freewheeling experience, which allowed me to meet and interact with a lot of people."

Evangelization and Catholic education were two of the most common issues voiced during the listening sessions, Caggiano said. Many people expressed concern about the growing number of people who were raised in the Catholic Church but no longer practice.

"A lot have either drifted away or perhaps there are events in their lives where they feel they may not be welcome in the church anymore," Caggiano said.

Alfonso Picone, the pastor at Sacred Heart Parish in Stamford, said he hopes the synod will offer guidance on how to reinvigorate lapsed Catholics' enthusiasm.

"What can be the best ways to reach out to people so people can come back to the Catholic Church again?" Picone said. "We want them to see within the church a sign of hope and a future for themselves, that the church can be a living community of different people coming together."

Stamford resident Rosanne McManus, who attends mass every Sunday at St. Bridget of Ireland on Strawberry Hill Avenue, said she believes the church would have an easier time retaining membership if it modernized some of its views on social issues.

"I hear complaints from people who have stopped going to church or really criticize the Catholic Church because of the way divorced people are treated," McManus said. "If a Catholic is marrying someone who is divorced, in most instances they can't get married in the church. We have to make some simple changes so we can be more inclusive and stop turning people away."

Social issues also came up when the bishop attended a listening tour geared specifically toward young Catholics. Abortion and the church's sex-abuse scandal were not raised as topics of discussion, however, Caggiano said.

"Many of them have gay friends, so they struggle with loving the person as a friend and reconciling that with the church's teaching, which says that a person who is gay is welcome, loved, respected, but that we hold that marriage is an institution " between men and women," Caggiano said. "That seems to be the real issue that's at the front burner of social issues right now."

The bishop also solicited and received input from the Spanish-speaking community. Many members cited a desire to incorporate their native language and culture into church services in Fairfield County. The most pressing concern expressed by local Hispanics, however, involved economic issues, the bishop said.

"There's a deep faith there, but there's also a deep concern about basic human needs," Caggiano said. "Health care, education, the ability to find work, immigration. It was almost a refreshing experience to go that deep into the fabric of life and start raising issues that are not just immigrant or Hispanic issues -- they're human issues."

The Synod Commission developed a report based on the listening sessions, which identified 10 main areas for improvement cited by Fairfield County Catholics. Caggiano plans to synthesize the categories into four or five main themes, which will serve as the synod's main focus over the next year.

The synod's 400 delegates of clergy and lay people will break into committees to study the themes. The delegates will finish their work in September 2015 and present the bishop with a final report outlining recommendations.

"He will either agree with them, or edit them as they he sees fit," Turner said. "It's a really exciting opportunity to envision the future for the church in Fairfield County."

Caggiano said the synod will likely spark some changes in how the diocese operates.

"The way we conduct some of our parish life may change," he said.

The Solemn Celebration of Vespers on the Solemnity of the Apostles Peter and Paul prayer service is scheduled for 7 p.m. Sunday at St. Augustine Cathedral, 359 Washington Ave, Bridgeport. The public is invited.